Cherry end table

This as an end table I made for a former next door neighbour. It is my third attempt at building a small table.

It is constructed of black cherry that came from a small sawmill located on the Saint John river. The legs were ripped from a board 2” thick. The top and sides were from a single 1” board 10” wide.White pine for the drawer came from a tree cut down by a friend at a small camp I owned. The drawer bottom is cedar.

I used a 13” bench planer to plane the boards to thickness after I had flattened one side by hand. I used a table saw to rip boards to width. All the other work was done using hand tools. This was my first attempt at hand cut dove tails. Previously I had used a router and dove tail jig. I think my router days are behind me.

To finish the project I applied an initial coat of orange shellac followed by applications of a linseed oil and beeswax finish from “Tried and True”. On my next project I will probably just use shellac and furniture wax.I did not put any finish on the drawer sides or bottom.

There is a dust panel under the drawer made of pine. It was a challenge to figure out how to install the dust panel while at the same time fasten the top to the rails. I think I came up with an innovative solution. On my next project I may use fluting on the legs, maybe some inlay work.

I have thank Mr Cosman for allowing me a one month free trial. I watched his series on a build he made of a similar table. I also thank Robert Wearing for his excellent book “The Essential Wood Worker”.

6 comments so far

Fantastic looking table, it shows a great attention to detail when built: the straight grain on all sides of the legs, the stopped chamfer on the leg corners, precisely inset drawer, curved breadboard on the front, one beautiful table all around.

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